Saturday 9 June 2012

107 miles

The midges were waiting for us at the doorway of the hostel this morning.  We had had to self-cater last night and a BBQ had been planned in advance.  A lot of us had Avon Skin-so-soft spray which is highly recommended for midges and so only a few un-sprayed spots fell prey to them last night.  However, this morning, several patches of skin (mostly the lower leg) were exposed and unsprayed and we all left with a few additional red marks.

The route today avoided as much of the larger A roads as possible.  Route 1 cycle network was easily followed in some places.  Our first stop was at the entrance to a construction site near Loch Tarn where a tunnel is being built to become a hydro-electric generator.  We had just climbed the first part of the hill from Fort Augustus and the stop, and the security guard’s portaloo, were very welcome.  The second part took us to the top of Suidhe Viewpoint to the east of Loch Ness.  A long drop down to the banks of the loch then took us the 15 or so miles to Doras where the Rockness concert was being held.  The Olympic torch was due there sometime in the afternoon.

After crossing the main A9 bridge over the firth at Inverness we stopped for lunch at the Dolphin and Whale watching centre (none there today).  We continued along the route 1 cycle path along the A9, but turned off to approach the curved bridge over the Cromarty Firth via minor roads.

After tea at Alness, we again took cycle route 1 to Tain and then the quiet A9 over the Dornoch bridge into Dornoch.  I don’t know what the Strath View B & B is like, but we have hit the jackpot with the Hilton View B & B!